little lilliputian landscapes? We seem to revisit this floral amusement from time to time. Is it that we feel a hankering for a primal slice of something old and ancient, if not as threatening as Jurassic Park- at least filled with fairies and magic?
And how about those miniatures slices of woodland under glass, the terrarium? Their history doesn't elicit thoughts of magic as much as rational thought, botany and science. A little more than 100 years ago Dr. Nathanial Bradshaw Ward, a physicist and amateur botanist accidentally discovered plant life could live for a period of time in moisture of a sealed glass bottle. Ward had a carpenter build a glazed glass house, the first Wardian Case. This ultimate terrarium grew in popularity to house greens and orchids in many a Victorian parlor, housing plants that survived ocean crossings from moist tropical jungles in the era of great plant collecting expeditions.
I think the appeal lies in between magic and science. These slices of nature delight us and are somehow draw us in to observe and lose ourselves among leafy greenness for awhile. Perhaps that is why we revisit this botanical amusement from time to time through the years, configured for our current lifestyles and interiors.
Below is my homage to the fern and mosses and small spring flowers in this imaginary slice of woodland.
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